The summer holiday ended just as the rest had for Lily Evans. Her sister, Petunia, spent the whole holiday going on about how unnatural it was for her to be a witch and that she was a disgrace to the family. That is, when Petunia wasn't at Vernon Dursley's house. Thankfully, she was home for less then a quarter of the holiday. All the same, though, it still hurt her to know that her sister hated her guts.

As she looked out of the train, she looked at Platform Nine-and-Three- Quarters and saw her friends coming onto the train all at once. Quickly, she went up to her friends to explain a few things that they already knew.

"Hi, you guys! I'm sorry, I can't sit with you right now, though, because I have to go to the prefect cabin-" Lily was saying before she got cut off by a tall girl with frizzy, black, curly hair.

"We know, we know. I was there when you opened the letter, you know. I did see you almost pee your pants," the tall girl replied.

"Seriously, Lil, we knew you would get this. Come along now, Casey," an average height brunette said, tugging the tall girl with her. She gave Lily a loving look with her startling blue eyes.

"Hey," Lily asked, now noticing that someone was missing, "Where's Becky?"

Casey looked down the hall and rolled her pair of dark chocolate eyes. At this, the other two girls looked down the same way to see the shortest of them--one inch shorter than Lily--flirting with some Hufflepuff. This didn't surprise any of them, for their blonde friend had stunning green eyes and a flirtatious personality. This made up for her short stature and so many guys had tried to ask her out.

"At least we won't have to worry about her not getting anyone," Casey sighed, voicing Emily and Lily's thoughts exactly.

"What about you Lil? You're pretty and popular," Emily remarked.

"She just can't stick to one guy, Em. Geez, you should have known this by now," Casey replied, rolling her eyes.

Just then, the train started to move. "Oh my, I'm going to be late! See you guys after patrol," Lily shouted. As she left, she saw that Emily was waving, while Casey was trying to get Becky away from the guy she was flirting with. "Only my friends," Lily whispered endearingly to herself.

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James Potter was laughing good-heartedly at a joke that his best mate, Sirius Black, just made. James had black, untidy hair that would never stick down, no matter, what and sparkling blue eyes that made him special. At least, he thought so.

"Hey, Padfoot," James called to his friend, "do you think Moony's going to be having fun patrolling for now on?"

"Naaaah, he'll miss out on the pranks," Sirius replied. Sirius hardly ever lived up to his name because he was always flirting and trying to break any and every rule possible. This was because with his handsome features, the girls flocked over him.

"You know what Padfoot, I think this will be the year," James said dreamily.

"What?" Sirius snorted.

"You actually get Lily," Peter Pettigrew finished for him. He was a small kid with only three friends. Peter was mouse-like in a lot of qualities, especially his small, squeaky voice.

"Seriously, you guys, I might think about her all the time," James replied, "but what I meant was that this would be the year that we find out how to successfully turn into animagi."

"For once Prongs," Sirius said thoughtfully, "I think you might be right on that one. We had such a strong lead last year, you never know!"

"Finally, we might be able to help Moony with his furry little problem. With that down, all he needs is a girl," James said fading back into his la-la land.

"Ah," Serous said suddenly as the compartment doors opened and the last Marauder walked in.

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"Finally you're back, Evans! Enjoying yourself too much, or something," Casey asked.

"Ha ha, no it's actually called patrolling," Lily replied to her sarcastic friend.

"You know, just wondering if you were going to come back."

"You know I would. Stop being pessimistic Case."

"Sorry for it being my fault of being alone in the world."

"Just stop, you guys," Emily yelled. "We know that it isn't Lily's fault for being Miss Perfect Prefect of the Century, it isn't my fault for being Plain Jane, it isn't Becky's fault for being super flirty, and it isn't Casey's fault for having a few issues. So just deal with our little pity parties for a second."

There was a moment of silence while the girls where quietly thinking to themselves. Emily, though, wasn't having a pity party. She was counting the seconds left in the 'pity party parade', as she calls it.

"Ok, I'm done," Emily announced. "What about you guys?"

There was instantly a chorus of "Yeah" and "Fine by me". Then, after another brief pause, they all started laughing.

Everyone was tearing up from laughing so hard at nothing and everything that they barely noticed the food trolley come around. Finely, when they stopped laughing, the three of the girls talked about boys, what they where taking this year, boys, professors, and lastly, boys.

It was during one of the 'boy' conversations that Casey looked out the window. She never really took part in this part of the conversation because she is yet to actually talk to guys beyond the Quidditch team. Looking outside, she noticed that it was almost time to get ready.

"Come on, you guys," Casey said breaking their conversation on Edward Finnegan, the Hufflepuff that Becky was talking to earlier. "It's time to get ready, you know."

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"Gosh! Where did the time go Prongs," Sirius asked.

"I know! What about you, Moony? Doesn't it seem like the food trolley just passed by here not ten minutes ago?" James asked his other friend.

Remus Lupin was the most restrained of the Marauders and often the only one that could reason with James and Sirius when they got too out of hand. When he wasn't a werewolf, which James had dubbed his 'furry little problem' Remus was a shy, intelligent wizard who had light brown hair. "She passed by a few hours ago, you guys," he replied laughing.

"Let's just get ready to go," Peter said, "I don't want to be left behind again."

"Yet," Sirius said in a dreamy voice, "that was such a fond tale. Thanks for reminding us Wormtail."

"Hah, poor Snivellus," James reminisced.


"I do feel some remorse. If only I didn't put that jinx on him, maybe it would have been better. We might have actually made it on time," Sirius continued.


"You guys then might not have to jump off the train into the bridge. It was a smart thing that James and you brought brooms," Remus added in.


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The girls got off the train and immediately Lily went somewhere to find out about a few extra duties she took on. This Casey rolling her eyes while Becky and Emily just laughed. They found it funny how their friend is when she gets too up tight with her duties. This left them easy prey for the guys who were standing about ten yards away.

"Go ask them where she is," Sirius urged his best mate.

"Why do I-" James started to say then, giving up, went to the girls. "Do you guys know where Lily is?"

Casey answered quickly because she was used to him. Being the seeker on the same quidditch team that James was a chaser on had made her immune to him. "God knows where she is. She left us by ourselves."

"That sucks, Fishly," James replied because he knew who Casey was. "Think we'll have a good season this year?"

"Hmmm… Let's see… You're a chaser along with Timothy Wood and Betty Scharncher, she's decent. I'm seeker, so I'm just fine. Sirius and Oliver Collins are the beaters… I doubt Collins and Scharncher. Other than that, we should," Casey replied lengthily.

"Sounds about right to me," James replied.

"Yeah, you might want to get back to your friends Potter," Becky said rudely.

"Why, Hafenger?" James asked.

"They are looking at you weird," Emily concluded. James just rolled his eyes and waved Casey good-bye; she just nodded.

By now, Lily, Emily, and Becky were so used to Casey talking quidditch to anyone on the team for hours on end that it didn't surprise them when she just started talking to the infamous James Potter of the Marauders nonchalantly. The guys on the team were the only guys Casey could talk to without feeling like she didn't belong there.

"You know what? It's great being home again," Emily said after Casey was done with James and they saw Lily coming back towards them.

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"It's like I wasn't home all holiday," Remus said.

"I know the feeling all too well," Sirius muttered.

"Let's just agree," Peter said.

"It's wonderful being home again," James said with a huge grin on his face. There was an answering grin on everyone else's face as the Marauders made their way to the horseless carriages.